Surprisingly, it’s much cheaper than you may think to have a smart home! The cost just depends on what level of automation you want.

Just like there are different types of houses, there are different types of home automation systems. You may not need all the bells and whistles, but you might want to know when someone opens your front door or you may want to have a Jetsons house that does virtually everything for you... well except for cook dinner. It’s really up to you how you want to do it, since the latest smart home technology is so versatile and expandable.

There really is a way to automate virtually any home out there! So, how much does home automation cost? Let’s look at some options to fit a small, medium, or large budget.

Beginner's Smart Home Package

The Best Value For a Smart Home

You can set your smart home up with only a few items if you want. Even a couple devices can make a real difference in how your home works for you. So, to start let’s look at a small system with only two devices: a hub and a door sensor.

A smart home hub is the “brain” of your home automation system that controls all of your devices and gives you remote access via your smartphone, tablet, or PC. The door sensor tells you whether a door is open or closed, and if you put it on your front door, then you’ve got yourself a beginner's home automation package.

Intermediate Smart Home Package

A Modest Smart Home For a Modest Price

This package has a different smart home controller and a few more devices to give you a better smart home experience without spending too much more money. Your smart home hub will still connect you to everything in your home via their app, but you’ll have more to control with a switch and a couple sensors.

Because the Z-Wave home automation protocol creates a mesh network for your devices to connect to, you can rest assured that all your devices will be able to talk to each other - even if they’re a little spread out.

Z-Wave Door Sensor

This smart door sensor tells you when a door’s open, but it also senses vibration (so you know if someone kicks your door or if there is an earthquake), tilt (so you can put it on a garage door), and even temperature (so you know if there’s a draft).

Z-Wave Motion Sensor

The SmartThings Motion Sensor pairs with the hub seamlessly. Most people think a motion sensor can just turn on a light, but it can really save you tons of energy by turning things off when you’re gone or adjusting the thermostat based on when you’re around and when you aren't.

Z-Wave Light Switch

We strayed from the SmartThings product line a little with the LINEAR Z-Wave light switch, but it’s well worth it. This is a sleek, reliable smart light switch that has Z-Wave control so that you can turn your light on and off remotely. It also integrates easily with your other Z-wave devices.

Expert Smart Home Package

The Most Expensive, But Also The Most Versatile

Now this home automation package has everything you could possibly want in a smart home. You can see what’s going on with your entire home from the temperature, to the doors and windows, as well as set up various “scenes” or protocols for when various family members come home.

This packages uses all Z-Wave devices which gives you a stronger network with fast communication between those devices.

Z-Wave Hub

Z-Wave Door Sensor

We would recommend the SmartThings multi sensor again here, but there is such a thing as information overload. With larger systems, you have to watch out for redundancies, so you just need a reliable, simple sensor that does what it says it will.

Z-Wave Motion Sensor

You could get a multi sensor or a plain motion sensor, depending on your needs. Simple motion sensors are good for things like turning on closet or pantry lights when you open the door, though you may want a fancier multi-sensor facing the front door to give you more information about that area of your home.

Conclusion

No matter your budget or the size of your home, you can build a smart home without going bankrupt. The coolest thing about creating a smart home with the Z-Wave communication protocol is that it's an expandable mesh network. You simply have to look for the Z-Wave logo on the new devices you want to purchase, and then you'll know you can seamlessly integrate it into your system.

Once it’s there, it will also make that network stronger (assuming it's hardwired)! This means that you can expand your home automation system as your budget allows, letting you build in more and more cool things over time.

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